Why Consumers Want Real Milk

Cow share programs are saving

More and more consumers have trouble di-
gesting commercial milk; many have allergies
to modern milk products. Processed milk is
actually an adulterated product that:
 Comes from cows fed high-protein feed,
which is totally inappropriate for cows and
which makes the milk more difficult to di-
gest and causes it to be allergenic.
 Comes from cows fed feed laced with anti-
biotics and pesticides, both of which come
A Campaign for
small farms in Colorado, Indiana,
Tennessee, Wisconsin, Michigan,
Virginia, New York, Texas and
Real Milk
many other states where state law PASTURE-FED
forbids the sale of raw milk. FULL-FAT
UNPROCESSED
For sample cow-share contracts
and a list of cow-share programs

Cow-Share
out in the milk. by state, visit www.realmilk.com
 Is lacking in adequate fat needed for nutri-
ent assimilation—milk from old-fashioned
cows on pasture contains twice as much
butterfat as modern milk labeled “whole”
milk.
A Campaign for Programs
 Is pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized, processes
that destroy the enzymes and vitamins in the
Real Milk
is a project of Gain Access to
milk and denature many of the proteins.
 Is susceptible to contamination because Unprocessed Milk from
The
pasteurization destroys milk’s good bacteria
Pasture-Fed Cows, Na-
(which protect us against the bad bacte- Weston A. Price
ria!) ture’s Perfect Food!
 Is homogenized, a process that violently
Foundation®
breaks up the fat globules. for Wise Traditions
 Contains additives and contaminants, in- in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts Help Save
cluding harsh cleaning fluids used to clean
the miles of pipes in modern milk factories;
Education  Research  Activism Local Dairy Farms!
PMB Box 106-380
and nonfat dry milk (added to reduced-fat 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
milk), which contains carcinogens, oxidized Washington, DC 20016
cholesterol and MSG. (202) 363-4394 Purchase a Share
info@westonaprice.org
These same consumers are discovering that in a Dairy Cow
they have no problems digesting unprocessed
(raw) milk from pasture-fed cows. In fact, such or Dairy Herd!
milk—called Real Milk—provides numerous Visit our websites at
health benefits. It is Nature’s perfect food, www.westonaprice.org
especially good for growing children and those and www.realmilk.com
who are recovering from serious illness. Copyright © 2005 The Weston A. Price Foundation.
All Rights Reserved.
 Why We Need Cow-Share Programs
Healthy Real Milk is available in stores in Califor-
nia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Mexico.
In many other states you can buy milk directly
from farmers at the farm.
However, in
some states, such
sales are illegal;
a farmer can lose
his or her
Grade A license
and even go to
jail for
selling consumers
unprocessed milk
directly.
In these states, consumers have been able to ob-
tain raw milk directly from farmers by
purchasing a share in a cow, or in the whole herd.
Even in states where sales of raw milk are legal,
the permits are often very expensive. Cow-share
programs allow farmers to provide raw milk to
consumers without cumbersome and expensive
paperwork mandated by the state.
Checklist for Cow-Share Owners
Before you purchase a cow-share, be sure that:
 Cows graze on unsprayed pasture except dur-
ing the coldest time of the year and are fed
hay and silage when in barns.
 The herd is tested free of TB and brucellosis.
 Teats of cows are cleaned with iodine solution
before milking.
 Cows are milked in a clean barn or milking
parlor using an automatic milking machine.
 Milk is kept chilled in stainless steel tanks or
glass bottles.
 Milk is tested regularly to ensure absence of
pathogens.
How Cow-Share Programs Work Economics of Dairy Farming
Conventional Small Dairy Economics
The consumer purchases a share in a milk cow Thirty cows in a confinement situation.
or dairy herd. The farmer and the consumer Fed high-protein feed to push milk production.
enter into a contract whereby the farmer feeds Cows produce 190 hundredweight per year.
and boards the cow, and provides the labor to Farmer receives $10/hundredweight
milk the cow and store the consumer’s milk. (same price as dairy farmers got before WWII).
Gross income is $57,000.
Such contracts are No government subsidies (only big farms get those).
legal and valid, as Costs are high:
guaranteed by the  Feed (grain, supplements, etc.)
Constitution of the  Vet bills (cows are always sick)
United States of  Replacement cows (cows live only 42 months)
America.  Artificial breeding (hard to get cows pregnant)
 Interest on debt (capital to purchase
The consumer does expensive equipment).
not buy milk from
the farmer. Rather, Small dairy farmers cannot make a living on this
he pays the farmer model, which is why in 2002, dairy farms in the
for the service of US went out of business at the rate of 16 per day.
keeping the cow and
his labor for milking
Cow-Share Economics
the cow and processing the milk into butter,
Thirty cows on 100 acres of pasture.
cream, cheese, etc.
Lower production but healthier cows.
Cows produce 100 hundredweight per year.
However, he may directly purchase other
Farmer sells milk for at least $4 per gallon,
products from the farm, such as eggs,
equivalent to about $50/hundredweight.
vegetables and meat.
Provides butter, cream and cheese for a price
Cow-share programs protect the farmer from
equivalent to about $50/hundredweight.
Feeds whey and skim milk to chickens and pigs.
liability since the cow belongs to the consum-
Gross income for milk & milk products is
er and the consumer is drinking the milk from
$150,000.
Gross income for eggs, chicken, pork and other
products is $50,000.
Costs are low:
 Feed cost minimal (sunlight is free!)
 Vet bills are low (cows are healthy)
 No replacement-cow costs (Cows breed easily,
replace themselves, live 12-15 years)
 Interest on debt much lower (not as many
capital costs).